


Safe Haven

by hazellepotter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Battle of Hogwarts, Canon Divergence - Battle of Hogwarts, Coping, Death, Emotional Support, F/M, Fear, Fear of Vulnerability, Friends to Lovers, Internal Conflict, Morally Grey, Susan Bones POV, Thestrals, coping with loss, hero - Freeform, heroics, secret friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 04:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19455916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazellepotter/pseuds/hazellepotter
Summary: He wrapped his arms around her, and she hoped he would never let her go.





	Safe Haven

Their friendship was odd. It always had been. It was a secret too, for Theo's family would not approve of him fraternizing with a Hufflepuff, and well, Susan could only imagine what her Aunt would have had to say about it. The Nott's were known traitors; traitors were not allowed in the Bones' family. But as Susan lost her Aunt and the rest of her family, she discovered thestrals, and she was happy to have Theo there. He could see them, too. He was the only person she knew of that could. 

His mother died when during his early years at Hogwarts, so all he had were his house-mates, his abusive father, and Susan. They were each other's safe haven; they knew the truth about each other. Theo was more innocent than he appeared and Susan was not. Susan was far from a bad person, but she had a dark-side others seemed to gloss over. She blamed it on the traumas of her past. It created a type of emotional instability that made her rather impulsive. She was jealous that Theo had not developed an impulsive coping strategy, _until he suddenly had._

It was the Battle of Hogwarts. Susan had thought of Theo every day since he went on the run to escape his father; she even wrote him letters that she never sent. She wasn't sure why she hesitated to send them. They had talked about so much before, but maybe her words were too vulnerable now. The whole world around her seemed to be crumbling; the world itself was vulnerable. Her own vulnerability didn't need to be added to it. 

So as she ran around a corner to see Theodore Nott with his wand against Hannah Abbott's throat, you could say she was surprised. Hannah was struggling in his grasp and trying to get away. Susan could hear her heavy breathing even though people were screaming down the hall next to them. It sounded like someone might had even died. 

Hannah's eyes were frantically searching the hall for an escape, and that's when she saw Susan.

"Susan! _Susan!_ Please help me!" She yelled. 

Her wand was on the ground next to her and Theo, and as Theo turned his head and caught sight of Susan, Susan dove for it. She grabbed it before he could, but he didn't even try that hard to get it for himself. He seemed more shocked to see Susan than anything else. Susan pointed her wand towards Theo and felt her hand shake. She never in a million years expected to be pointing her wand at her best friend with another witch's wand in her back pocket. Theo was better than this, she knew that. He was better than her. 

"Theo, don't-don't do this. Please let Hannah go," Susan begged. She tried not to let her voice crack, but she failed. Her heart was breaking as she watched sweat run down Theo's brow.

"I-I have to do this," he told her frantically, "If-If I don't, he'll-he'll kill me. He told me to round up all of Potter's friends. I was caught-"

" _Be the hero in your own story, Theo._ You don't have to be your father. You don't have to let the Dark Lord win." 

**_"My hero let me down when I needed them most. Why would I want to be one of them?"_ **

His words hit Susan like a ton of bricks. Hannah was looking between her and Theo with a confused expression, but her breathing had slowed and she stopped struggling in his grasp. Susan noticed his grasp had started to loosen as well; Hannah was just too scared to move. 

"I'm-I'm sorry your father turned into this. I'm sorry he has always tried to turn you into this, but this isn't who you are. You are like your mother. _Quiet, smart, kind, generous._ I took our friendship for granted by keeping it a secret, _and I'm sorry._ "

Hannah's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. She was smart not to, because Theo's grip loosened even more, and he decided to push her away from him. 

"Run," Theo told Hannah without looking her in the eye, "Act like you were never here."

Hannah looked at Susan for reassurance, and Susan nodded at her to go. Susan threw her her wand, and Hannah quickly ran down the hall and around the corner so she was out of sight. 

There was a long silence between Susan and Theo after that. They just stood there looking at each other, and all they could hear were the Hogwarts walls crumbling around them and other wizard's screams as they probably reached their end. It was a haunting scene; everything seemed to slow down until there was nothing at all. 

Theo's lip were trembling as he looked down at the ground; Susan watched as silent tears slipped down his cheek.

"Why didn't you write or try to find me?" Theo asked her, "When I ran, I-I thought you'd-"

But he didn't finish his statement, because she knew what he was going to say. _He thought she was going to find him._ She had a knack for finding him before. That's how they met. He was crying alone in a broom closet when she thought she felt a kindred spirit. She found him as he was looking at thestrals for the first time after she had seen them, too. She had found him when she needed someone to hold her after her Aunt had died. _She always found him when they needed each other most._

"I-I don't know," Susan answered, _but she did know._ It came to her suddenly as she heard another scream. _She didn't send him the letters because she was in love with him, and the things she loved always died._

"You're lying," Theo called her out. His voice had become stronger now. He had stood up straighter and wiped away his tears. He was back to the stoic Theo she knew best; the Theo that put up the front of being careless.

_"I-"_

But she wasn't able to finish her statement, because Theo had strode towards her and planted his lips on her's. The kiss was harsh; it was as rough as their past traumas. It was as rough as Susan's dark side. It was as addicting as her dark side, too. She returned the kiss with every ounce she had in her. She let him know how much she had missed him without words, and as he pulled away with his hands in her red curls, it was the first time she had ever seen his cheeks flushed.

"I-I was wrong," Theo confessed.

"About what?" She whispered. She put her forehead against his. They were still alone in the hall, and for that, she was thankful. She couldn't believe the battle hadn't made it to them yet. They were still in their own little safe haven.

"My father was never my hero, not even my mother. _You have always been the hero in my story._ "

She smiled slightly, "And you have always been mine, even if you were morally grey tonight. Heroes make mistakes and try to make up for them. That's what makes them heroes."

He wrapped his arms around her, and she hoped he would never let her go. Selfishly, she hoped the battle could just end right now, but reality was still a constant companion. When she pulled away from him, she grabbed his hand.

"You need to do what you were born to do," she told him, "Choose the light."

He looked her in the eye and nodded. He drew his wand as she drew her's, and hand in hand, they ran down the hall to take not only his father, but the Dark Lord down for good. It was time that they got the happy ending they both deserved. 


End file.
